BitPay Alternatives and Fees Compared (2026)
BitPay is one of the oldest crypto payment processors. It turns crypto payments into daily bank settlements, so a merchant can accept Bitcoin without holding it.
Teams look for BitPay alternatives when the fixed 25¢ per invoice weighs on small payments, when customers want to pay in USDT, or when they need subscriptions that renew on their own. This post explains BitPay's published fees and compares 7 alternatives, with a source for every figure.
Disclosure: OrcaRail publishes this blog and is one of the options below. Competitor facts come from each provider's own pages, linked, with the date we checked. Pricing changes, so confirm with the provider before you decide.
What is BitPay
BitPay lets businesses accept crypto online, in store and through email billing. Its pricing page, checked 10 November 2026, promises "daily fiat settlements, direct to your bank account" and settlement "in your local currency, cryptocurrency or any combination of the two."
- Coins: the pricing page FAQ lists BTC, ETH, BCH, DOGE, SHIB, LTC, APE, POL, DAI, USDC, BUSD, WBTC, USDP, GUSD and EUROC. USDT is not on the list.
- Settlement currencies: AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, MXN, NZD and USD, or crypto.
- Tools: email billing, ecommerce, donation and retail payment tools, and a QuickBooks IIF download.
BitPay fees
From the BitPay pricing page, checked 10 November 2026:
| Paid invoices this month | Fee per invoice |
|---|---|
| Under $500,000 | 2% + 25¢ |
| $500,000 to $999,999 | 1.5% + 25¢ |
| $1,000,000 or more | 1% + 25¢ |
- High-risk industries pay "higher fees".
- Tiers follow the month-to-date value of your paid invoices and reset on the first of each month.
- The 25¢ fixed fee applies to every transaction, whatever the rate.
- Who pays: fees come out of your daily settlement, or you can add them to the invoice so the customer pays.
- Payouts: BitPay Send payouts cost 1%.
What BitPay costs on small payments
At the first tier (2% + 25¢):
| Payment | BitPay fee | Share of the payment | OrcaRail fee (0.5%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.45 | 4.5% | $0.05 |
| $50 | $1.25 | 2.5% | $0.25 |
| $100 | $2.25 | 2.25% | $0.50 |
| $1,000 | $20.25 | about 2% | $5.00 |
OrcaRail has no fixed fee per payment, and its first 100 transactions are free. Network fees are extra in both cases.
Why teams look for a BitPay alternative
- Small payments. The fixed 25¢ alone is 2.5% of a $10 payment.
- USDT. BitPay's coin list has no USDT, the stablecoin many customers already hold.
- Subscriptions. BitPay's pricing page lists email billing tools, not automatic subscription charges.
- Volume tiers. The lowest rate needs $1,000,000 or more in paid invoices each month.
- Where the money goes. BitPay's strength is fiat in your bank. If you want to keep stablecoins in your own wallets, you need a different setup.
Quick comparison
| Option | Published fee | Recurring billing | Settlement | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BitPay | 2% + 25¢ under $500K/month, down to 1% + 25¢ | Email billing (invoices) | Daily to your bank, or crypto | 10 Nov 2026 |
| OrcaRail | 0.5% per completed transaction, first 100 free | Payment link per cycle, or on-chain auto-charge | Auto-forwarded to your wallets; no balance held | 10 Nov 2026 |
| Stripe stablecoin payments | 1.5% | Stripe Billing; stablecoin subscriptions in private preview | Stripe balance in local currency | 10 Nov 2026 |
| Coinbase Business | Shown after you log in | Not listed | Coinbase account; USDC to USD for a fee | 10 Nov 2026 |
| NOWPayments | From 1%; +1% when coins differ | Recurring invoices | Hosted; optional custody account | 10 Nov 2026 (fee), 31 Oct 2026 (recurring) |
| CoinGate | 1% (Standard plan) | Scheduled bills | Held in your CoinGate account | 10 Nov 2026 |
| MoonPay Commerce | 2% standard, 1% with HelioX Pass | Monthly or annual subscriptions | Hosted; optional fiat off-ramp (+0.5%) | 10 Nov 2026 |
| BTCPay Server | 0% (you run the server) | Not listed | Self-hosted, no third party | 10 Nov 2026 |
Network (gas) fees come on top for most providers. Stripe's fee includes gas sponsorship.
OrcaRail
OrcaRail is a developer-first API for stablecoin checkout and subscriptions.
- Fee: 0.5% per completed transaction, with no fixed fee per invoice; the first 100 transactions are free. A $10 payment costs $0.05. See pricing.
- Coins and networks: USDC and USDT on Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, BNB, Avalanche and Solana, plus BTC on Bitcoin: 70 mainnets in total. Tron is not supported yet. See Networks and tokens.
- Paying in another coin: customers can pay in another token or network. The quote adds a bridge fee that the payer pays, and you still receive the full amount. See Fees.
- Recurring billing: a payment link per cycle, or auto-charge that pulls each renewal from an ERC-20 allowance (EVM) or SPL delegation (Solana), with no invoice to pay by hand. See subscriptions.
- Settlement: no balance held. Each payment is forwarded automatically to withdrawal addresses you control. On-chain non-custodial settlement is on the roadmap.
- Tooling: REST API, signed webhooks, Node and PHP SDKs, a Laravel Cashier package, a WooCommerce plugin and an MCP server.
- Testing: free sandbox organizations on testnets with
ak_test_keys.
The trade-off: BitPay settles to your bank in fiat. OrcaRail pays out in crypto, so you receive the stablecoins and decide when to convert them.
Stripe stablecoin payments
Stripe accepts stablecoins and pays out in your local currency.
- Fee: 1.5% of the transaction amount in USD, including conversion to fiat and gas sponsorship (Stripe pricing).
- Tokens: USDC on Tempo, Ethereum, Solana, Polygon and Base; USDP and USDG in the US only. No USDT.
- Who can use it: US businesses; the EU, Hong Kong, Mexico and Switzerland are in private preview. Customers can pay up to 10,000 USD per transaction.
- More: Stripe stablecoin payments vs a crypto payment gateway.
Coinbase Business
Coinbase Commerce is now part of Coinbase Business: coinbase.com/commerce redirects there.
- Availability: "currently available in the US and Singapore."
- Fee: "a fee on each completed payment," shown after you log in. Converting USDC to USD is "subject to a fee."
- More: Coinbase Commerce alternatives.
NOWPayments
NOWPayments supports a long list of coins.
- Fee: transaction fees "start from 1%," with an extra 1% exchange fee when the coin you receive differs from the coin the customer pays in.
- Recurring billing: a recurring payments API that sends an invoice or payment request each period (checked 31 October 2026).
- Custody: registered users get a custody account.
- More: NOWPayments alternatives.
CoinGate
CoinGate is a hosted processor based in the EU.
- Fee: 1% per transaction on the Standard plan; Enterprise pricing is custom.
- Recurring billing: its Billing product can "schedule the bills so they go out on a recurring basis."
- Payouts: crypto payouts cost 0.50 EUR + 0.5%.
MoonPay Commerce (formerly Helio)
MoonPay Commerce grew out of Helio.
- Fee: 2% per transaction, or 1% with a HelioX Pass. High-risk platforms pay at least 2%. Swaps add 0.25% and automatic fiat settlement 0.50%.
- Recurring billing: subscriptions, monthly or annual.
BTCPay Server
BTCPay Server is "a self-hosted, open-source cryptocurrency payment processor."
- Fee: "0% Fees & No Third-party." You pay for the server and run it yourself.
- Good fit if you mainly take Bitcoin and are happy to operate your own server.
How to move from BitPay to OrcaRail
- Open a sandbox. Sign up at app.orcarail.com and create a sandbox organization with an
ak_test_key. - Choose what you receive, for example USDC on Base or USDT on Ethereum. List options with
GET /payments/networksandGET /payments/networks/:id/tokens. - Set withdrawal addresses for each chain family (EVM, Solana, Bitcoin), so funds are forwarded automatically to your wallets.
- Replace the invoice call. Where you created a BitPay invoice, create and confirm a payment intent and redirect to the hosted pay page. For email billing, send a payment link instead; see crypto invoice.
- Replace the payment notification handler. Verify the webhook signature and fulfill orders on
payment_intent.completed. - Move recurring customers to OrcaRail subscriptions, with auto-charge if you want renewals without invoices.
- Plan your fiat step. OrcaRail pays out in crypto. If you need money in a bank, convert through an exchange or off-ramp you already use.
- Go live with a live organization and an
ak_live_key.
For a wider field-by-field view, see our list of crypto payment gateways.
FAQ
How much does BitPay charge?
2% + 25¢ per paid invoice while your paid invoices are under $500,000 for the month, 1.5% + 25¢ from $500,000 to $999,999, and 1% + 25¢ from $1,000,000. High-risk industries pay more. Source: the BitPay pricing page, checked 10 November 2026.
Does BitPay accept USDT?
The FAQ on BitPay's pricing page lists the coins it supports, and USDT is not among them (checked 10 November 2026). If you need USDT, OrcaRail accepts it on Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, BNB, Avalanche, Solana and more. See how to accept USDT payments.
What is the cheapest BitPay alternative?
Of the hosted options in this post, OrcaRail has the lowest published rate: 0.5% per completed transaction, no fixed fee per invoice, and the first 100 transactions free. BTCPay Server has no fee, but you run and pay for the server.
Which BitPay alternative settles to a bank account?
Stripe settles stablecoin payments to your Stripe balance in local currency. MoonPay Commerce offers automatic fiat settlement for 0.50%, and Coinbase Business converts USDC to USD for a fee. OrcaRail and BTCPay Server pay out in crypto.
Which BitPay alternative supports subscriptions?
OrcaRail auto-charge pulls each renewal on-chain from an allowance the customer signs once. MoonPay Commerce has monthly or annual subscriptions, Stripe Billing supports stablecoin subscriptions in private preview, and NOWPayments and CoinGate send recurring invoices or bills. See recurring crypto payments.